The three candidates battling for two, three-year seats on the town's Board of Selectmen engaged in lengthy discussions about the town's future.

Incumbents Julie Gilman and Don Clement emphasized the need for the town to keep moving forward on its current track, while challenger Dennis Brady stressed the need for change throughout the forum.

"I believe that sometimes incumbency can lead to a status quo, where you no longer challenge what's going on and you fall into the scheme of things," Brady said. "I believe I'll bring new ideas and new ways of doing things and I won't be burdened by history."

Brady said he believes the town also has a problem with "uncontrolled spending."

Clement said that during his first term on the board the town has come a long way in addressing Exeter's aging water and sewer infrastructure but still has a long way to go, with the need to build a new wastewater treatment plant and respond to other mandates from the Environmental Protection Agency.

"We've made some good progress but we still have a lot of challenges before us," Clement said. "I am running again because there is still much to do and I believe a measured, detailed, innovative approach to problem solving can put Exeter on track to success and keep us moving forward."

Meadowwood Drive resident Mary Ann Lachat said she's been alarmed by tax increases over the last three years.

"I certainly appreciate the necessity for infrastructure improvements," Lachat said. "My concern, however, is that we will be facing extensive infrastructure demands over the next few years. So if the rate of increase over the last few years is going to be matched by the same rate of increase or more, we are going to have an excessive burden on people on fixed incomes."

Exeter News-Letter Editor Emily Quirk asked the candidates what could be done to make Exeter more affordable for taxpayers.

Gilman said the town needs to expand its commercial tax base, an effort she said she is an actively involved with as a member of the town's Economic Development Commission.

The town needs to use its land use and tax use tools to make Exeter more attractive to businesses, according to Gilman.

She said the town also needs to support the employees of these businesses by making sure they can live in town.

"We can find ways. We have land to develop and we can give breaks to developers that can bring in affordable housing because we have the basic employment for people to live there," Gilman said.

In his response, Clement touched on the town's aging population and the town's various tax exemptions.

"Exeter probably has the most generous elderly exemption program in the area," Clement said.

He said between the elderly exemption, blind exemption, and veteran and disabled credits, the town exempted $36 million from its tax base last year.

Clement said his statement wasn't a criticism but just a matter of fact.

"Exeter has programs that try to make the burden easier on the elderly and that's one of the things as a town we should be proud of but again, I want you to know that it has a tax impact," he said.

Brady said while he agreed with Gilman's stance on attracting new business to Exeter, he thinks the town may continue to struggle in that area if it sticks to its current path.

In talking to local merchants, Brady said he learned that the current tax rate is making it hard for them to keep their business in town.

"There are a lot of empty store fronts, but some of these small businesses are really struggling now," Brady said.

When looking to cut costs, everything should be on the table, Brady said.

In a rebuttal to Brady's view about Exeter not being attractive to businesses, Clement pointed out there are a number of industrial businesses either coming to or expanding in Exeter.

Brady says the town needs to look at itself from an operational standpoint, including evaluation of current staff positions.

"You look at the jobs being done and if they're really needed. Are there things the town should be doing or can volunteer organizations do those things just as well and for nothing? Are there ways to combine jobs? When someone retires that's an ideal opportunity to look at what you do with the organization and not automatically fill the spot."

Resident Susan Gorman asked Gilman and Clement how their experience could be an asset if re-elected.

Clement said the current board has been very good at negotiating cost with unions and working with each individual department to find savings. He said the board has also been good at securing grants.

"There's a lot we do in the background," Clement said.

Clement added that in his three years on the board, the board has had an intense budget process and contained the tax rate and budget increases to about 2 percent per year in his three years on the board.

Both Gilman and Clement argued that keeping them on the board would be a vote of continued progress.

If re-elected, Gilman said she would like to continue to work on land-use initiatives that can both keep Exeter a "charming town," while making it attractive to new business.

She added that she will continue to support the updating of the town's infrastructure and exploring grant funding to support these upgrades.

"We need to work better as selectmen, and I can work better, with the state legislators and our federal legislators to... ask them to introduce bills that benefit the town or not vote on bills that don't benefit the town. We need to pay more attention to that," she said.

Clement said he likes the town's current course and believes things can get better.

"We need to not disregard the basic infrastructure of the town. It's gone on for too long and that's why we're facing catch-up today," he said.

He said challenges can sometimes lead to opportunity.

"I'm going to ensure you that I'm going to be totally engaged. I'm going to pay attention to how our tax dollars are spent because I'm a taxpayer also. I'm going to look for operational efficiencies, we need to continue to look for those, and we need to maintain a quality level of services and explore new sources of revenue."

Brady stressed that if he is elected, he will be fully committed to the position and bring a new perspective to the board.

"We do need innovative thinking, we need to challenge the way we do business now and find other ways," he said. "Economic development is truly the most effective way to broaden the tax base...we need to be alert to the fact that you need to remain competitive."

Brady said he realizes there are mandates that need to be done but they can't be done at the expense of taxpayers, there needs to be a balance. He suggested that the town consider freezing its tax rate and forming a budget around that.